Monday, May 30, 2011

I wish these were bottled at cask strength

There's a couple of areas in the whiskybusiness I sometimes think I could easily live without :-)

One is the huge array of local whisky distributors and agents, which for a small country like Denmark is quite an expensive link in the trade from distillery to me as consumer. Nothing to do about thou, but logically this link will be cheaper in places where larger areas and/or population groups can be covered.

Another creature is the master blender. Personally I prefer cask strength whisky, preferably single casks. I don't really like others than me adding water to my whisky and I don't like caramel coloring. Somehow somewhere someone has decided that producing whisky for the masses requires blending, water and e150 and they are probably right!. I don't think the ability to make great blends and vattings means you are also great in choosing single casks!

But sometimes they do give me whisky the way I like it. last post I mentioned Chivas Cast Strength bottlings. Another range of bottlings worth looking for are Diageo's annual releases. They tend to be expensive, but sometimes there's affordable gems amongst, like the 16yo Glen Elgin.

Some distilleries are kind to offer bottlings both at watered down ABV and cask strength, like Laphroaig 10yo, and I reckon most reading this will agree with me that the cask strength versions are far superior!

Amrut has one of the best standard ranges in industry. Peated and unpeated. Both at cask strength and 46%, and the Fusion on top of this

Amrut at Limburg

Ardbeg has a similar nice mix of 46% and cask strength whiskies in their standard range

Glenlivet doesnt have much, but they do have Nadurra

Quite often, when I taste wateres down whisky I can't help thinking, that I REALLY would like to taste this as cask strength.

Glenfiddich doesnt do much in the higher ABV ranges. It could be really nice if their 18yo was available at full strength. I also wouldnt mind to have Highland Park available at full strength. Lagavulin 16yo at full strength, we all know how good the 12yo is. I also wouldnt mind some sherried Macallans available at fulls strength. The 10yo cask strength was fantastic, but also hard to find. It is about to be discontinued unfortunately, if it isn't allready

An abundance of water at Glenfiddich

Any whiskies you would like to see at full strength ?

PS the last couple of years, quite a few whiskies has gone slightly up-strength, thank you for that, I talked a bit about it here :